Families enjoy Father's Day farm picnic in Westerville

Monday

Jun 16, 2014 at 12:01 AMJun 16, 2014 at 9:42 AM

The day at the farm was for the dads, but the chicks stole the show. Jorgensen Organic Farms, a 63-acre plot in Westerville, was the site of a Father's Day picnic yesterday that included hayrides, lawn games, strawberry picking and a favorite of the under-10 crowd: newborn chicks.

The day at the farm was for the dads, but the chicks stole the show.

Jorgensen Organic Farms, a 63-acre plot in Westerville, was the site of a Father’s Day picnic yesterday that included hayrides, lawn games, strawberry picking and a favorite of the under-10 crowd: newborn chicks.

Erin Miller of New Albany thought the event would be a good way to spend a sunny afternoon outside with her family of five.

Miller lives only a few miles from the farm and said she had been there before to buy fresh herbs and honey.

Her 5-year-old daughter, Claire, and 3-year-old son, Ian, were particularly fond of the 4-day-old chicks that were out to play.

Miller said she enjoyed the hayride, where farmer Val Jorgensen showed off her land and her tomatoes, squash, kale and herbs. She offered guests stalks of mint and showed them how to bruise the leaves to extract the oil.

Brian Moore, who lives in a development neighboring the farm, was celebrating Father’s Day with his wife and 5-year-old twin sons.

“You can see their favorite part is the chicks; they’ll never want to leave,” Moore said of sons Madden and Mason, who were reaching into a kid-sized swimming pool that served as a pen, trying to snare a scrambling bird to hold.

Mr. Moore said he liked learning how the farm provides produce to local restaurants.

Brooke, his wife, said she had been to the farm before but hadn’t toured the farmland until yesterday and was curious to see what the farm had to offer.

“I would buy stuff at their farmers market and drive by all the time,” she said.

This was the farm’s first Father’s Day event, and Jorgensen was pleased with the turnout of about 30 guests at a time.

Jorgensen said the number provided a “sense of privacy” and “peace and quiet” for guests, who could feel as if they were in their backyards and relax.

Being able to give people what could be a rare opportunity to experience farm life is her favorite part of holding community events, she said.

“If I can stand back and watch people enjoying themselves, that gives me a sense of satisfaction,” Jorgensen said.

She has owned the land for 22 years, and since 2011, it has become a popular venue for weddings, growing from two bookings to 50 this year. Aside from the crops, she grows flowers to sell at farmers markets and collects honey to make signature nectars mixed with herbs.